Office-indicator.



No. 697,907. Patented Apr. I5, |902.

W. W. WILDER, IR.

OFFICE INDICATOR.

(Application led July 29, 1901.)

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VILLIAMWV. VILDER, JR., OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

OFFICE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,907, dated April 15, 1902.

Application led July 29, 1901. Serial'No. 70,039. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM W. WILDER, Jr., a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Office-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is an indicator to be placed upon the doors of offices which will indicate at a glance to au observer several points of information concerning the movements of the proprietor-as,for instance, his whereabouts and if he be out of the office the day and the hour of his retu' rn-which may be operated to indicate this data by a single key, and which is simple in construction and ornamental in appearance. This objectis attained bythe means described in the annexed specication and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure lis a front elevation of an indicator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the front plate removed. Fig. 3 is a sectional view, upon an enlarged scale, taken through line 0c m, Fig. 2, the ends of the baseplate being broken off. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view, upon a still more enlarged scale, showing the key and the disks revolved thereby. Fig. 5 is a detail plan View of one of the bracket-arms secured to the base-plate for guiding the disks. Fig. 6 is a sectional View of the same. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the key. Fig. 8 is an inverted plan view of the same.

Referring to the parts, secured to baseplate A are four radial arms B, of one pattern and set at equal distance from a central post a, which is secured to the base-plate. Arms B have formed integral with them three inwardly-projecting ilanges b, b', and b2, respectively, parallel to the base-plate, iiauge l) being at the greatest distance from post a and resting against the base-plate, iiange b2 being at the shortest distance from the post and at the greatest distance from the baseplate, and flange ZJ being midway between iianges b and b2 both as to its distance from post o. and from the base-plate.. Upon the outermost face of each arm Bis a recess b3. Upon flanges b rests a circular disk C, above which on lianges b rests a second circular disk l), of a smaller diameter. Above disk D upon liauges b2 rests a third circular disk E, of a diameter smaller than that of disk D. In the way formed by recesses b3 rests a fourth disk F, in the shape of a circle of a diameter substantially equal to disk C, but With a segment fout out of it to expose the edges of disks C, D, and E. Disks C, D, E, and F are concentric, each having a central perforation in it to pass over post a, the edges of said perforations being notched, so that the notches may be engaged by teeth g g of a key G, which lits down over post a.

Disk C has numerals in regular order indieatin g the hours and half-hours marked upon its edge. Similarly, disk D upon its edge has numerals indicative of the day of the month. Disk E has the months marked upon its edge. Disk F has printed radially upon its face the Words Out of city, upon the left of that at ninety degrees the Word Will, and at ninety degrees on the right the word Return Midway between this sign and arranged similarly thereto are the Words In office, Walk in, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. l.

Through the four corners of faceplate I-I screws are passed inward to plate A, the inner face of plate II bearing against the outermost face of arms B and, together with recesses b3, forming a Way for disk F. In it are four radial openings h, h', h2, and h3 at ninety degrees apart. Through opening h the Words Out of city, In oiiice, and through open ings h and h2 the words Will return and Walk in may be alternately exposed by the rotation of disk F. Opening h3 is large at each end,` the inner enlarged portion coming over the edge of disk E to expose the names of the months, the central reduced portion over disk D to expose the numerals indicating the day of the month, and the outer enlarged portion coming over the edge of disk C to expose the numeral indicating the hour. Plate I-I has a central perforation h5 for the passage of key G. Above the disks plate Alias an opening h4, through which the name of the proprietor may be seen.

Post a has live annular beads formed upon it at distances apart equal to the distances between the disks. Key Ghas ahollow shank IOO g2 to :tit over post et, and upon one side is cut a spring-arm g3, which has a small inwardly-projecting tooth g4, which springs into the grooves between the beads upon post a, so that when tooth g4 is in the groove between the uppermost bead and the one neXt to it teeth g g engage the notches in disk F, and when in the successively lower grooves engages successively disks E, D, and C. When tooth g4 is in the lowest groove, teeth g g are below disk C, so that if the key be then turned the position of none of the disks is affected thereby. This position is the one the key is to be lett in after the indicator has been set.

In use the indicator being attached to the door of an ofce to indicate that the proprietor is out of the city and that he will return, he brings the key to its uppermost position, and by turning it rotates disk F to the position shown in Fig. l. Then he pushes the key inward to the next groove, spring-arm g3 allowing it to move inward and snapping tooth g4 into the next groove. By rotation of the key he then turns disk E to expose the name of the month of his return. Similarly he arranges disks D and C to indicate the date and hour of the same, and then pushes the key to its innermost position, so that should it then be turned it would not affect the position of the disks, and a person unfamiliar with the workings ot the device could not tamper with it.

What I claim isl. In an office-indicator the combination of a base-plate,a forwardly-projecting post thereon, a face-plate having slots therein secured to the base plate, concentric sign bearing disks mounted between the base and face plate and being perforated to pass the post, a key to pass over said post and means for holding it at points upon the post opposite to the respective disks to engage them to expose various data at the slots in the face-plate, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an office-indicator the combination of a base-plate, a face-plate having slots cut therein, a series 0E circular concentric disks mounted rotatably between said plates the disks decreasing in diameter from the baseplate outward with the exception of the outermost which has a segment cut out to expose the other disks said outermost disk bearing signs upon its face and the others upon their edges, and means for rotating the disks to expose the signs at the slots of the face-plate, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an office-indicator the combination of a base plate, radial arms secured thereto about a common center each having a similar series of parallel inwardly-projecting iianges at increasing distances from the base-plate and decreasing distances from the center forming circular ways, sign bearing disks seated in the Ways formed by the similar iianges, a slotted face-plate and means for rotating the disks to expose the signs at the slots, substantially as shown and described.

fi. In an office-indicator the combination of a slotted face-plate, a base-plate, a stud bearing a series of annular beads secured to the base-plate, a series of disks between the base and face plate having notched perforations to pass the post and situated at distances apart equal to the distances apart of the annular beads, and a key having a hollow shank to tit over the post a spring-finger to engage the post between the beads and teeth to engage the notches in the disks to rotate them to expose different signs at the slots, substantially as shown and described.

VILLIAM W. YVILDER, JR.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM P. MURRAY, W. F. MURRAY. 

